"A North Korean patrol boat briefly intruded into our waters before returning to the North following warning shots from our side," a spokesman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff told AFP.

The incident occured at 2:40 pm (0540 GMT) in the disputed waters in the Yellow Sea, where a deadly inter-Korean naval skirmish erupted in June.

The June clash in the waters claimed by both Koreas left five South Korean soldiers dead. It also claimed an unknown number of casualties on the Northern side.

North Korea at that time surprised the world by quickly apologizing over the skirmish, resulting in the resumption of inter-Korean talks.

SPACE.WIRE